“Did they open it?” is a fair question to ask before you call. It is also an easy one to answer wrongly. A tracking number that goes up when a security gateway fetches the page tells you nothing about a person. shareHub is built around a stricter definition.
What counts as a view
A view is recorded in two situations only: a reader's browser actually renders the page, or a reader verifies their email code. A request that only fetches the page, which is what many automated email scanners do, is not a view. This is why the number is usable: it is the signal for a human opening the document, not for a machine checking a link.
It always refers to the current version
When you publish a new version at the same link, the viewed status starts again. Someone who opened last week's proposal has not seen today's, and the dashboard says so. You see the status of the current version, the time of the first and last view, and the total count.
What a view cannot tell you
- That it was read. A view tells you the document was opened. It does not show that anyone read all of it or understood it.
- Who opened a public link. A public share records no reader identity at all. On an email-code share, a view comes from a verified address you approved.
- Everything about the person. shareHub does not keep raw IP addresses or full browser user-agent strings.
How long the data is kept
Detailed view events are deleted within 30 days of a share being revoked or expiring. The total view count stays. The point of tracking is to help you follow up while the document is live, not to build a history of your readers.
Using it well
Treat the signal as timing information. If the current version has been opened, a follow-up has a reason; if it has not, you may want to check the address before you chase. Ask for the status from the dashboard, from an agent (get_share_stats over MCP) or from code (GET /api/v1/shares/{id}), which return the same fields. See the developer documentation.
Frequently asked questions
Do email scanners count as views?
No. Automated scanners that only request the page do not produce the viewed signal; a view comes from a browser rendering the page or from a verified email code.
Does a view prove the document was read?
No. A view tells you about access. It does not prove that anyone read or understood the whole document.
How long is view data kept?
Detailed events are deleted within 30 days of a share being revoked or expiring. The total view count is kept.
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